Four Two Two
by hrlo
Summary: [ON HIATUS] Formerly “I Get Around”. Travelling three thousand miles doesn’t get rid of one’s ghosts. Jess is merely starting his life in Venice, CA, yet can he let go of what he left in Stars Hollow? My take on Jess's life in Venice. Please do R
1. one

Title: Four Two Two

Rating: PG-13 (entirely precautionary)

Summary: Formerly "I Get Around". Travelling three thousand miles doesn't get rid of one's ghosts. Jess is merely starting his life in Venice, CA, yet can he let go of what he left in Stars Hollow? My take on Jess's life in Venice, an oft-done take, I know, but please do R&R!

Disclaimer: Jess, Jimmy, Sasha and Lily all belong to DPDH and ASP, I (unfortunately) own none of the above. Same goes for the chunks of dialogue and scenes that I still habitually rip right out from the show. But other than that, the story and other new characters are all, thankfully, mine.

Author's note: I don't know about y'all out there, but 'Gilmore Girls' took a horrible turn for me personally when Jess was to leave for Venice. Season 3 Jess was a completely different person, if you ask me, from Season 2 Jess. The Jess that you'll read here is based more on his character in Season 2 than in 3, when Asshole!Jess made his first appearances. 

That said, I've thus also taken liberties with whatever was presented on the show (hey, if they don't care about continuity, I'm not gonna bother either. ;0) ). Lily may've appeared like a teeny little girl, but I'm writing her as a ten-year-old here. The characters of Jimmy, Sasha and Lily may not seem in character too; but then again, the above trio only appeared in less than two episodes, so I'm extrapolating their characters as I see fit. 

Finally, I do realise that fics about Jess's life in Venice are hardly gonna be highly original, seeing as the community of Literati-lovers out there isn't exactly insignificant, but I decided to continue with writing this fic anyway, mainly 'cuz I myself need the resolution. ;0) The direction that this fic is gonna take was one that I had in mind ever since the circumstances under which Jess leaves Stars Hollow came to light, which I felt was a complete departure from the established character of Jess. So basically, this is gonna be like a wish-fulfilment fic for me… But then again, isn't that what fics are for? ;0)

This will likely turn out to be a longer fic than whatever else I've written, but I'll likely not have too much time to update, so please do bear with me… And any comments or criticisms that you wish to make are more than welcome! Enjoy! (hopefully…)

*          *          *****

_"How you gonna work, huh? How you gonna eat? How you gonna pay rent? What are you gonna do, Jess?"_

_"Jeez, I don't know, maybe I'll work in a diner."_

*          *          *

"Jess? Everything okay?"

Jess Mariano snapped back to reality, dazedly blinking in the glare of the Californian sun. Jimmy Mariano—his father, the man he'd never known his whole life—stood before him, a look of hesitant concern on his face. The sun reflected sharply off the blindingly bright structure that stood behind Jimmy—The Inferno, the revived hot dog stand that was Jimmy's current pride and joy. Not that Jess was getting to know much about the dinky little orange stand or anything; his physical being was here in Southern California, but his mind had suddenly drifted three thousand miles out east.

It took him another second before his mind shook off the haze of the reminiscence, before he finally replied, "Yeah, everything's fine."

Jimmy stood awkwardly before the teenaged boy, unsure of himself now that he was not safe behind the counter of the stand. In a nervous habit, he shoved his hands into his jeans pockets, shoulders hunching forward, rocking ever so slightly on the balls of his feet.

Jess blinked again, unnerved by the sudden feeling as though he were watching himself from outside his own body. If anyone from his New York or Stars Hollow life had been present, they would have commented on the similarities between father and son right then.

"So… First time on the West Coast?" Jimmy asked.

"First time on the West Coast."

The conversation was awkward. Small talk wasn't exactly Jess's forte; put him together with the man from whom he had evidently inherited that trait, and witticisms weren't exactly about to be traded. The small voice that kept nagging at the back of his mind certainly did not help matters.

_A hot dog stand__… That's his life here, Mariano. What're you getting yourself into? What're you going to end up doing here? You don't even know if you can stay, damn it. What's gonna happen then?_

The torturous exchange finally came to a merciful end when Jimmy's employee, Lee, called out to him. "Jimmy, I got the pickle guy. He's as worried about you as I am."

The relief was palpable in Jimmy's face. "I should take this."

Jess was hardly surprised at what he saw. "Go ahead. I can just hang out."

"You sure?"

"I got my book, I'm good."

"Okay, you're good."

Jimmy returned his attention to the stand, taking the phone from Lee, the transition clear as day as he slipped back into his element. Lee squeezed past him in the narrow space behind the counter, seamlessly picking up from where they had left off before in preparing the stand for its grand opening.

_Guess you could call him his Caesar,_ the observation came to Jess before he could stop himself from drifting back there again. _Damn it, Mariano, forget that place. You're never going back anyhow._

_But then what happens if you can't stay here?_ Once again, that voice of logic which  Jess himself barely knew he possessed had its say. 

Truth be told, what he'd seen in his hours in Southern California were unnerving him. It harked back to a time when he hadn't cared what the future held for himself, and it had been another who carried the concerns that the nagging voice now reminded him of.

Jess was undoubtedly his father's son, even if the two men had never truly met until days ago. The physical traits were there; the inborn habits were there; even Jess could recognise that much of who he was today clearly had not been cultivated in his environment, but inherited from Jimmy Mariano. 

_So what does all that mean for me? For my future?_

The thought of continuing Jimmy's business, this tacky gimmick stand with it's jarring orange and cheesy mascot—it was nowhere near what he had envisioned for himself in the future, even if he'd never truly given his future much thought. _Jess Mariano—hot dog stand owner?_

_No way. There's no way in hell going to be what I'll do,_ the inner voice piped in again.

At this point, Jess had to concur.

_So… now what do I do?_

*          *          *

_"I didn't know how it was gonna go, okay? I didn't know if he was even gonna be there or if he was gonna wanna talk to me or slug me or—"_

_The shouting voices carried on. It was clear that this latest revelation was going to be quite the bump in their relationship._

_"Get the extra mattress out of the closet."_

_"What for?"___

_"For Jess."___

_"For Jess to do what?"___

_"For Jess to sleep on."___

_"Jess is sleeping here?"_

_"Isn't he?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Jimmy, you didn't ask him if he's staying the night?"_

_"No."_

_"Well, did you ask him how long he's here for?"_

_"No."_

_"Did you ask him anything?"_

_"Should I have?"_

_And the cause of this bump was suddenly feeling so much better about himself right then._

*          *          *

Jess had heard everything. Well, not heard in the conventional sense of actually having had the sound travel to his ears, but he hadn't lived his whole life in the pages of books without honing that perceptive imagination. He may never know what went down in that conversation word for word, but even as he walked out of the door, he could already sense the direction that things were going to take. _So where do I go from here?_

He wandered the boardwalk aimlessly, letting the bustling chatter of Venice Beach pass by him, immersed in his own thoughts. Already he was pondering his options, counting the amount of money he had left, how long that stash would last him, how far he could go before he'd have to stop and find a place to settle and earn a temporary living. He ran through the list of possible places that he might go to, but every single one of those places was full of strangers, not a single soul living there known to him. He'd have to find a place to live, get a job, pay the rent, find his own feet in a city that would be completely alien to him…

A wave of futility crashed over him even as he strode on in the street, his legs taking him along the sidewalk even as his mind was beginning to panic. How would he go about doing this? Would his money last? What would happen if it didn't? _Could_ he do this?

_Unless I take the other option…_ Once again, that voice in the back of his head somehow made itself heard loud and clear.

_No way. There's no way in hell that's happening. I didn't travel three thousand miles by freaking stinky bus just to do what I could have done back there. There's no way in hell I'm going to do something when I gave up everything to avoid doing it. There's no way in hell I'm doing it now. Not after all that I've lost…_

A skating teen suddenly swerved into his path, causing him to jump aside as they narrowly avoided collision. Shaken, Jess looked around him, realising he'd drifted quite far from the house already. Turning around to take in his surroundings, he noticed a bookstore that he'd passed by. Recalling his words to Jimmy before he'd left, he strolled towards it, hoping to find something worthwhile.

The bookstore wasn't anything special, an average selection with books he'd either read years ago, or which he'd never be caught dead reading. Running his thumb past the spines on a shelf, he stopped when he came to Hemingway's _A Farewell To Arms_. Absentmindedly, he started thumbing through the pages, easily finding the passages which he'd always remained fond of. As his conscious mind felt the embrace of those familiarly comforting words, unawares, the little voice that had long been trying to make its stand began to drift away, exploring the possibilities that lay behind the option that Jess himself has so stubbornly shut out. 

*          *          *

A/N: That's it for now… So, please do drop your comments! They'd be much appreciated… :0)


	2. two

Title: Four Two Two

Rating: PG-13 (entirely precautionary)

Summary: Travelling three thousand miles doesn't get rid of one's ghosts. Jess is merely starting his life in Venice, CA, yet can he let go of what he left in Stars Hollow? My take on Jess's life in Venice, an oft-done take, I know, but please do R&R!

Disclaimer: Jess, Jimmy, Sasha and Lily all belong to DPDH and ASP, I (unfortunately) own none of the above. Same goes for the chunks of dialogue and scenes that I still habitually rip right out from the show. But other than that, the story and other new characters are all, thankfully, mine.

Author's note: See Chapter 1 for most of what I had to say. Thanks for continuing to read, and once again, reviews and comments are much appreciated!! :0)

*          *          *

Jess nervously scuffed the edge of his shoes against the linoleum floor as he stood outside the kitchen, awaiting Sasha's verdict. They spoke within in quieted tones—well, at least Jimmy made the attempt.

"Come on, Sash, it's just for a month."

"Just for a month? And what makes you so certain it'll be just for a month?"

"Look, Sash, he's still my son, and he's got nowhere else to go."

"Well, he's _your_ son, not mine. Why should I have to let him stay?"

"He's trying to find his own feet. Just help him out for awhile, then he's out of your life." There was a momentary pause. "Come on, Sash."

"How do I know he'll only stay that long? How do I know one month won't turn into two, three months? I don't want him living off us damn it, this isn't what we'd planned out for us."

"Sash—"

"Damn it, Jimmy! He wouldn't even be here if you hadn't lied to me! You say we're soul mates, yet you don't even tell me about an eighteen year old son that you have! And you still want me to just sit back and watch him move in and disrupt our lives? Forget it, Mariano! Don't you even _think_ I'll let that happen!"

This was when Jess could stand by no longer. He swung open the kitchen door, the words bursting forth before the couple could even react to his interruption. "Look, I'd really rather not have to resort to all this, damn it, but I don't _have_ a choice anymore! My life'll just waste away in New York with Liz, I left my home with things all up in the air— I left without even telling my _girlfriend_ where I was going, and I don't think I could even go back to face her right now, not without a damn good explanation, much better than whatever Jimmy can give for not telling you about me. Luke's kicked me out of my home, I can't go back unless I go back to high school, and there is no _way_ in hell I'm going wasting another year of my time in that oppressive place where _no one_ gives me a chance! They think I don't know but I _do_. I never had a chance in that damn school, and I can't go back at all." He took a breath, then continued, his voice calmer now. "Look, just—please, just let me stay, let me get my life back on track. I wanna get back to a school here, graduate, be able to _do_ something with my life, and _have_ something to show for so that I can go back home. I'll work at the stand, I'll do odd jobs, pay rent if I have to. Just—please."

Jimmy and Sasha stared at Jess, shellshocked. Jess himself was rather taken aback by the words he'd uttered. Apparently that annoying little voice had just taken over his conscious mind. And Jess didn't really mind it all that much…

Sasha was the first to break the silence. "So now you want to go to _school_ here? You want to stay a whole _year_ here?"

"Well, quite frankly, I'm hoping not too, if I can help it. I'll graduate early, or something."

One perfectly plucked eyebrow arched high up. "Just like that? Graduate early and leave?"

Jess had no idea how else to respond. "Yeah."

"And you can do all this because…?"

"Look, I'm smart enough to do it, okay?"

"Well, apparently not smart enough to graduate high school at the first try."

Jess bristled at that, but before he could react, Sasha had ploughed onwards again. 

"Fine, I'll give you what you want, on one condition."

Jess furrowed his brow in suspicion. "What's that?"

"You pass a test."

*          *          *

Jess could hardly believe the ludicrousness of it all. He sat at the table in Jimmy's study, twiddling his thumbs as he waited. Finally, the peculiar girl he'd met earlier, Sasha's daughter Lily, returned, the slight girl almost completely hidden by the stack of heavy thick textbooks that she carried. She dropped them on the table before Jess with a loud thump, then matter-of-factly said, "Read these, I'll give you the questions tomorrow morning."

"You think I need all night to be ready?" Jess sifted through the stack of books before him, perusing the titles and content pages. "Give me three hours, and I'll be set."

Lily frowned. "Well, that's three hours past my bedtime. Take your time, you'll be taking the test tomorrow morning when I wake up." With that, the bespectacled girl turned back and left the room.

_Well, that one's certainly a strange one…,_ Jess mused. Sighing, he took the first book of the stack that stood before him, cracking open the cover and beginning.

*          *          *

Well, so it hadn't quite taken a mere three hours for Jess to digest all the information before him. European history and politics, advanced calculus, physical and human geography, human anatomy, organic chemistry… The collection that Lily had handed over certainly was comprehensive, and not everything was covered in the average twelfth grade syllabus. Even reading at the pace that he did, Jess would have needed at least six hours to go through everything. His eyelids only managed to stay open due to his personal expertise with brewing a good strong cup of coffee, and even then, he'd found his mind shutting down more than once during the night. Finally, as day broke and Jimmy and Sasha emerged from their room, he embarked on the last chapter of the final textbook.

Lily emerged at seven in the morning, freshly washed up, but the thick glasses still perched on the tip of her nose as though it had been slipping down all day already. She looked expectantly at Jess, who was still running his eyes over the last pages, his hand raised out towards her in a gesture to acknowledge that he'd seen her, but that he still needed a little more time. Lily waited for a few more seconds, then Jess finally flipped the back cover closed, placing the book on the top of the stack. "Done."

Lily held out a single sheet of paper to him, a list of questions written in her childish print on it, along with a fresh pad of writing paper and three pens. "Six essays, they shouldn't be a problem at all. I'll be back from school before four, you should be done by then. You'll know how you did by tonight."

Inside, Jess was chuckling at the sight of this diminutive girl giving him such serious instructions, but he knew how much depended on this test that the little girl was giving him, and he accepted the list of questions, keenly aware of Sasha watching from the door. Lily picked up the stack of textbooks from the table, frowning slightly under the effort of the load, then turned and left the room. Jess silently watched her go, then looked down at the list of questions that she'd left him. Quietly, he perused the questions, his mind already formulating the required answers, still sensing Sasha's watchful gaze. Wordlessly, he picked up the pen that Lily had left, and bent over the pad of writing paper, his hand moving swiftly across the lines as he scribbled down the answers.

Jess had never been much for doing schoolwork. But now that he was actually doing it… he'd hit a groove. Now, more than ever, he was truly in his element.

*          *          *

Sasha stood at the doorway for another moment, watching the teenaged boy before her, observing the intensity with which he wrote, noting how it was not unlike Jimmy bent over his notes and papers for the refurbished stand. Sighing internally as she struggled to come to terms with the recent developments, she turned towards the kitchen, aware that Lily still had school to deal with.

She jumped, startled, at the sudden appearance of Jimmy behind her. The pleading look on his face instantly told Sasha what their conversation was going to be about again.

"Sash—I can't thank you enough for—"

"Jimmy, just shut up for a minute." Sasha walked from the study to the kitchen, out of earshot of Jess. "I'm not giving Jess a chance just because he's your son. He's a troubled kid, he's trying to find his own feet, that's why I'm willing to give him a chance, same as how I'm willing to give every other person out here their chance, as long as he shows me just how serious he is about this high school thing. He does this thing properly, he stays, but only for up to a year, and only if he actually helps out around here. He doesn't, he's gone. And as for us, don't even think for one second that it's going to be resolved quite so simply."

"Sasha, look, I know whatever I say isn't going to help you forgive me any sooner, but can you at least let me say it?" 

Sasha fixed Jimmy with an impatient glare, which he took to be his cue to continue. 

"I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, a lot of which I'm not proud of today. I screwed up a lot before you knew me. What happened between me and Jess's mother—that was one of those things I screwed up. When I met you, I was only just beginning to get my life back on track. I—I didn't dare to tell you about Jess simply because I was afraid. I was afraid that if you found out that I'd abandoned my own son you'd see me as this screw-up irresponsible asshole, and you wouldn't want anything else to do with me. I'm not denying that I wasn't exactly that before you knew me, but that's not who I'm trying to be anymore. What I've got here today—the stand, you—I couldn't be more thankful for it, but—I've had regrets with what I've done before meeting you, and abandoning Jess is one of those things. I know I can't rationalise not telling you about going to see him, but I had to go. I had to see that leaving Jess didn't completely screw up his life, so I could get that bit of closure on my past before I could move forward. I thought I saw just that—he was working at his uncle's diner, he seemed to be doing well—I didn't expect him to come out here. I certainly didn't give him the open invitation to do so either."

"But Jimmy, don't you see? He's here. There's nothing else you can do about that already. Stop trying to give yourself excuses for what's happened," Sasha answered, bristled with his comments. "The thing that annoys me most, Mariano, is how you can act as though it were my fault. Claiming that you didn't tell me about Jess because you were _afraid_ I wouldn't be happy about it? That's rich, that's just absolutely fucking rich, Jimmy. We've been together for so long now, certainly you could have told me something as big as that before you went off to Connecticut to see him! Would I leave you so far along into our relationship just because you told me about your abandoned son only now? You'd have to be a fool, and truly not know me at all, if you thought for one second that I would, Jimmy."

"Sasha—"

"No, Jimmy, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I can't, not right now. All I want to do right now is to make sure my daughter gets to school, that the kid in your study right now isn't left out on the street, and that everything else in my house is going fine. I can't talk about us right now. You know as well as I do that I'm gonna need time, we're gonna need time, before things can even remotely resemble what they were before this. Okay?"

Jimmy was silenced, taken aback, but when he saw the tired expression on her face, he realised he had to drop the subject now. "Okay."

With that, Sasha turned away from him, busying herself with preparing breakfast.

*          *          *

The hours passed by like minutes for Jess, engrossed in the zone that he'd reached a page and a half into the questions. His hand was cramping badly, yet his mind registered none of the pain as he wrote on. He only peripherally registered the regular presence of Sasha at the doorway, peering in to check on him, her impression of him growing with each visit as she saw the continued intensity with which he worked. Lunchtime came and went, Jess's stomach growling with hunger, having remained unsatiated since the previous night, but still Jess ploughed ahead, determination driving him forward. Fatigue did not stop him either, despite drowsiness almost overcoming him on more than one occasion, the nearly thirty-six-hour stretch of no sleep often threatening to take its toll. Nonetheless, he knew what he had to do, and by three thirty in the afternoon, he'd completed his task.

Triumphant, he set down the pen, leaning back in his chair and heaving a huge sigh. He stretched back, yawning, as he stood up, cracking his stiff back as he moved his sore limbs, thoroughly exhausted. He peered at the stack of CDs and records in the corner, marvelling at the collection that stood before him and deeply missing his own back in Stars Hollow, when Sasha came by again.

"So, you're done?"

Jess straightened his back and faced the woman upon whom all of this hinged. "Yeah, I am."

"Not too much for you to handle, was it?"

"Not really, despite the fact that about a third of that comes from first year university courses."

"Well, you've set your standards high, so we might as well make sure you can live up to what you aim for."

"Look, I can _do_ this, okay?" he snapped. "I don't _need_ anymore people doubting me, I've got enough people back in Stars Hollow to do that."  
  


"I'm not doubting you," she replied, her voice firm and calmer than Jess's. "I saw the way you were working back there. I gotta say, not many people impress me the way you did with how you were working. You were exactly like Jimmy was when he was still trying to get the stand back on its feet. He had the drive to follow through on what he wanted, and I'm not doubting that you have those same genes. I may or may not be right about you, but I've always trusted my instincts, so… we'll see when Lily gets back."

Jess was floored by her words. He silently watched as Sasha turned to leave, then hastily added, "Thank you."

Sasha turned to face the boy standing before her, mildly surprised by what she'd just heard, and almost expecting it to have been a figment of her imagination.

_Damn it, Jess, just say it…_ "Thank you… for giving me this chance."

A hint of a smile played across her lips. "Well, you haven't exactly secured that chance yet, now have you?"

Jess sensed he knew what she was playing at, and he dutifully played along. "Trust me, that chance is in the bag."

"As cocky as your father." Sasha left Jess with an arch of her eyebrow, then turned around. "There's a mattress out next to the couch, you can sleep there if you want to," she called back to him as she left.

Jess stood there for another second, absorbing what had just happened, revelling in the notion that he finally had his chance. Then, he wobbled precariously, the lack of sleep almost overcoming him right there, requiring a quick outstretched hand to prevent himself from falling. _Damn it, Mariano… Way to go with the motor skills there._

Blinking, he stumbled out of the study and into the hall, barely aware as he found the mattress and collapsed upon it, out like a light bulb before his head even hit the lumpy makeshift bed.

*          *          *

A/N: That's all I've got for now! A longer chapter than normal, I realise, but I cut it off where I felt was most appropriate. Don't forget, reviews are much beloved! :0)


	3. three

Title: Four Two Two

Rating: PG-13 (entirely precautionary)

Summary: Travelling three thousand miles doesn't get rid of one's ghosts. Jess is merely starting his life in Venice, CA, yet can he let go of what he left in Stars Hollow? My take on Jess's life in Venice, an oft-done take, I know, but please do R&R!

Disclaimer: Jess, Jimmy, Sasha and Lily all belong to DPDH and ASP, I (unfortunately) own none of the above. Same goes for the chunks of dialogue and scenes that I still habitually rip right out from the show. But other than that, the story and other new characters are all, thankfully, mine.

Author's note: See Chapter 1 for most of what I had to say. 

To the few faithful reviewers, many thanks for your kind comments! That said, this will be the last update for awhile, mainly due to real life commitments that I have. The next time I update this fic, it'll be when the entire story is complete, so this may really _really_ take awhile. It'll be updated en masse too, FYI, so if you're following this fic, you can look forward to one big _big_ read. Thank you for having continued with this story, and this is the last you'll be hearing from me for awhile. Till then, adios, and thanks for staying tuned! :0)

*          *          *

_"So, Lily-Lou?__ What's the verdict?"  
  
_

_"Well, his handwriting is absolutely atrocious and completely illegible… I can't even read half of this. He may have to fund my next visit to the optician, Mom."_

_"Lily, hon, focus here. So how did he do?"_

_"You might want to get a second opinion on this, I mean, I made out what I could, and marked him on that, but it may be completely different from what he intended, and I want to make sure this is as accurate as possible."_

_"Okay, Lily, now you're just messing with me. Do you not want him here or something?"_

_She squirmed slightly under her mother's stern gaze. "Well, it's not that I don't want him here… After all, I was the one who told you I wanted a brother…"_

_Now the mother was completely taken aback. "Didn't you mean a younger brother? You do know that Jess is older than you, right, sweetie?"_

_"Well, Mom, I actually would prefer an older brother, you know, someone who can bully the kids who try and bully me at school…"_

_"Wait, there're kids who try and bully you at school?"_

_"Mom, now you're digressing."_

_"Sorry, sweetie, go ahead."_

_"Where was I? Oh yeah. Now, it's not that I don't want him here, it's just that… I saw you and Jimmy arguing about him earlier—"_

_"You were eavesdropping??"_

_"Mom, Mrs. Coulson next door could hear you, and she still needs a hearing aid." The stern gaze got Lily right back on track. "Anyway, I'm just saying—if you want it to be, it can be a bad result, y'know—"_

_Sasha__ sighed, then quickly added, "No, Lily, I don't want you to cheat Jess out of what he worked for. If he did well, then he did well. Don't alter things just because you have the power to do so, it's not what you should do. Under any circumstances, you hear?"_

_Lily reflected on this for a moment. "Not even if it'll help those you love?"_

_"Lily, it's nice that you want to do this for your mother, but I'm not the sort who'd want to cheat someone out of something, and you shouldn't even think of doing so just for me. Okay, sweetie?"_

_Lily was silent for a moment, then she nodded. "Okay, Mom."_

_"Now, we've been sidetracked long enough. So how did he do?"_

_Lily shuffled through the stack of paper before her. "Well, he's hardly a genius at the math and sciences, but he does seem to be able to apply what's taught, although I doubt he's highly capable of going beyond what's taught to him. His strength is definitely in the humanities, I mean, he brings in stuff not even in the books that I gave him, and he just goes completely beyond all that—"_

_"Lily, sweetie?__ Cliffs Notes version?"_

_She collected the sheaves of paper together, making the mental assessment of Jess's overall results. "Well… He should be acing high school."_

_Sasha__ smiled, glad that her gut instinct was right once more, as her mind began to race at the prospect of running this latest project.___

*          *          *

Jess stirred from his deep slumber, disoriented when he opened his eyes to find himself facing an unfamiliar—_and absolutely hideous_—couch. He blinked once, then twice, gradually remembering where he was, and what had gone on in the short time that he'd been on the West Coast. He pushed himself up and away from the mattress, turning around to get up, then—

"Oh, jeez!!"

Jess jumped almost a mile high when he turned to find Lily's face two inches from his own. "You know, you might want to avoid doing that, you might just kill someone that way one day."

"You snore."

Jess was utterly silenced by the reply he received from the girl. After all, it was hardly what he expected to hear out of her. 

He could not even begin to formulate a comeback to that when she continued, "Mom wants to see you." With that, she straightened herself, then turned and left, something regal and untouchable about the way she carried herself.

Jess watched her walk away, marvelling at the peculiarity of this girl once again. Sighing, he rose from the rumpled sheets on the mattress, a check with the clock on the wall letting him know that he'd been asleep for just over seven hours. Stretching a little to overcome the remnants of sleep in his limbs, he followed Lily out into the hall and into the kitchen.

Sasha sat at the small table that barely fit into the kitchen, leaning back in a relaxed fashion, drumming her manicured fingernails on the stack of paper that Jess himself was more than acquainted with already. 

Nervously, Jess shoved his hands into the front pockets of his jeans, hunching his shoulders forward and ducking his head slightly as he awaited the final conclusion.

"Well, Jess," Sasha began, clearing her throat. "I have to say, not many people can best my dear Lily when it comes to the academics. But you… So tell me, what're your plans at graduating early?"

This certainly wasn't going to be a direct conversation. "Well, I'm figuring, go to summer school, take extra classes, do whatever extracurricular papers I need to do to get out of there earlier, and I should be out of your hair by January."

"January?" Sasha questioned, raising her eyebrows as she went over what he had just suggested. "That's ambitious, even for a Mariano." She straightened herself up, sitting upright now, and looked Jess straight in the eye. "You might wanna refine that plan a little, make it a bit more realistically feasible, change that deadline to maybe March or April, get a bit more detail in it… After all, the one you'll really need to convince is the principal."

Jess's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

"It's Friday today, and it's also the last day of the term, so you'll get your shot at starting summer school soon enough." Sasha stood, gathering the stack of papers and handing it over to a shell-shocked Jess. "Monday, you and I are going down to West Venice High, that'll be the school you're attending. We'll meet with the principal, who happens to be an old friend of mine, so you'd better not screw up or your ass is out of here faster than you can say 'graduate'." Sasha went around the table and out through the doorway that Jess had entered from, a woman with a mission now. "Any questions, comments?"

"Wait, you're letting me stay?" Jess scrambled after her.

"No, you're going to high school but living out on the street. Of course I'm letting you stay. Jeez, you'd think that someone who could do what you just did would have no problem in comprehending this little conversation. Now, ground rules. I want you out of my house as soon as possible, which means you need to put school as your number one, number two, _and_ number three priorities. Any other priorities below that ought to mainly consist of personal hygiene and keeping alive. Which means I don't want you working some part-time job or any crap like that, and that will thus inevitably bring about the question of rent. There won't _be_ any. You'll essentially freeload off us, but you'll obviously still have to chip in your fair share of work, that means chores, chores, and more chores. Oh, and babysitting for Lily too, so we can scratch that off our expenses. Shouldn't be a problem, though, Lily's an angel." Sasha finally stopped. "Any questions?"

Jess could still barely absorb the pace at which Sasha was going. "Uh—No. No questions."

Sasha looked him over once more, then said, "Good. You should do great, Jess, but one mistake and that's it. Got it?"

Jess nodded his assent in silence. 

"Okay, now, are you gonna stop following me around the house?"

Jess blinked and looked at where he'd followed Sasha to. They were on the upper level of the house now, and clearly in front of her bedroom. "Oh. Sorry. I'll just—I'm going now." He turned and quickly strode away, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Sasha smiled fondly as she watched him walk away. _He seems like a good kid… Messed up, but good…_, she thought. She normally trusted her instinct when it came to people, and her gut told her that she wouldn't be wasting her time with this.

Sasha opened the door, and was mildly startled when she suddenly came face to face with Jimmy. _Damn it, he's got the puppy dog eyes going again…_

She sighed again as she sensed the topic that was soon to be broached again. "Jimmy, I'm letting him stay for his own sake, not because of you, and because he's earned it on his own merit at least."

Clearly Jimmy had something else on his mind as he blinked in surprise at her opening statement, caught off his guard. "You're letting him stay? Really?"

The plucked raised eyebrow made its reappearance. "You're standing so damn close to the door and you _didn't_ hear a word that was said outside?"

"No I—I mean, I—Look, Sash, I was a little engrossed with wanting to talk to you, okay? I'm not concerned whether Jess can stay right now, I'm concerned with what's going to happen to you and me." Tentatively, he stepped closer to the cold regal goddess of his dreams. "Sasha, I know it's going to be next to impossible for us to get past this, but I want to. I _need_ to. You know as well as I do that you saved me from the life that I was leading, that I'm only where I am today because of you. I can't continue on this path that I'm on without you, and you know that. Please, I'm _begging_ you—" his voice nearly broke here "—can we work past this?"

Sasha looked into Jimmy's sea-blue eyes, the colour of the only other thing he loved more than her in the world—this she knew, only because he'd said it far too many times, and she'd seen it in his eyes far too many times. Try as she may, and hurt as she was by his reticence on the son that he had, she knew he loved her deeply, and that she reciprocated it in every way. The ice around her heart that had been there since Jess showed up was melting away now, and they both could not deny it.

Taking Jimmy by the hand, she sat down on the edge of their bed, sighing. "Tell me more about the whole situation with Jess. Everything about that time that you spent in New York, anything else about your past that you haven't told me. Tell me."

Willingly, and with a touch of desperation to salvage their relationship, he poured out his heart about the whole matter—what his life in New York had been like, meeting and living with Liz, the pregnancy, dealing with her brother Luke and father William, and the topic that was hardest for him—why he ran.

As they spoke, they never realised that a lone figure had remained outside their door, having turned around wishing to express his gratitude again, but instead inadvertently learning a great deal more of his past than he'd ever got out of his own mother.

*          *          *


End file.
